1. Technical Field
The invention relates to the reproduction of audio signals. More particularly, the invention relates to an acoustically transparent stranded cable for interconnecting components in an audio signal path.
2. Description of the Prior Art
As long as people have been listening to recorded music and using cables to connect various audio components together, there has been much effort put into improving the way electrical signals that represent the recorded music are transmitted between these audio components. The ultimate purpose of such cables is to do virtually nothing in the signal path, i.e. to provide a transparent path for the electrical signals to travel. The closer one comes to this end, the better. Most efforts to date have concentrated on trying different cable construction and shielding techniques. Although different windings and shielding variations affect the way music sounds, known techniques do not reduce the massive amount of distortion that currently takes place during signal transmission. Currently, the main tests performed on such cables to determine the attributes of the cable are to measure the cable resistance, inductance, and capacitance. However, these tests do not show how accurately the electronic signal is transmitted by such cables. Because no one knows or agrees upon what measurements should be used to determine the acoustic transparency of a cable, most known cables are designed using only variables at hand, i.e. the construction technique and shielding.
The best way to determine the accuracy of an audio cable is by listening to music with a system that incorporates the cable of interest. One objective way to determine which approach to cable construction is better is by listening for reproduction of recorded information. If more recorded information can be heard, then this is an objective observation. There may be audio tests which can achieve the same results but, generally, it is not known or agreed to as to which tests are more relevant than listening for actual recorded information. The inventor has never listened for anything but the recorded information in his testing. A key problem people have in choosing which audio components to listen to is the simple fact that so much distortion is introduced via the connecting cables that an accurate appraisal of the component or recording is not possible. The choice of cables and components is thus reduced to deciding which signal coloration and distortion are more pleasurable to the ear and less damaging to sound quality. The electronic signals that transmit music or digital signals over cables, usually made of copper or silver wire, produce significant signal smearing because the signals do not arrive at a particular system node, e.g. the speakers or amplifier input, at the same microsecond in time and the sine waves that comprise the signals do not arrive in proper phase. Signal smearing is apparent when high frequencies sound shrill and harsh, and low frequencies sound boomy with little pitch definition.
It would be advantageous to provide an improved interconnect cable for audio components that addressed the problems attendant with state of the art audio interconnect cables.